[Buddha-l] Reference

[Ngawang Dorje]

Hi,
   
  I miss this part in my previous email.
   
  I am looking for the source which says that Rahula became an Arahat. Also, the story about the eighty chief disciple. Where is it mentioned that Rahula, Yasodhara and Gotami was named as chief disciples.
   
  Best wishes,
  Rahula

Baopiguy at comcast.net wrote:
  



  2006/1/28, d f tweney <dylan at tweney.com>:     
   In short, the Dalai Lama has forged some partnerships with prominent   
   neuroscientists to investigate the science of the mind, using a   
   combination of meditation as well as contemporary scientific tools like   
   MRI scanning. This work has produced some interesting results. For   
   instance, meditating monks are able to change their brain wave   
   signatures in remarkable ways -- producing patterns not seen outside of   
   anaesthesia, for instance. 


This reminds me of the monk burned himself to death (was it Viet-Nam?), while sitting in lotusposition. It was one of the first instances I was confronted both with Buddhism and 'superhuman' brainpower. 

Stefan
I don't see anything that indicates "superhuman" brainpower...the same changes in brain waves and anaesthesia to pain can be done by those with fairly limited training in self-hypnosis...and in some cases, simply by belief. Years ago I used to do hypnosis at parties making people do really stupid things. But the best research indicates that the person is NOT hypnotized. It's a state we call "stage hypnosis"...the individual believes he/she is under hypnosis and is always an exhibitionist to one degree or another.  If you've ever watched one of us "work" a room we start with 50 - 60 people and end up selecting only the ten or twelve most suggestible for the crazy stuff on stage.

My Master's father was the second monk to burn himself in Vietnam in protest of the Communist takeover. In that school of Buddhism the taking of one's own life is considered a grave wrong. Try as I might over the years, that is the single thing my Master would not discuss with me. Everything else, from his sex life to drugs....but he would never respond to any question or comment about his father's burning himself.

But one thing is for certain....there is no great mystery or high training necessary to bring about the effects that have been "documented" to date....so I take exception to the urban legend that monks have special powers or control that others can't fairly easily replicate.

An Tzu



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